The laws of fluid mechanics seem wholesome and antiseptic when they’re read off the pages of a book, but the practical applications tell a different story. In relating a tale that shows how air flow affects evaporative coolers, we’re going to be dealing with some real headaches, but they can be readily sidestepped when a simple maintenance program is established. Let’s take a closer look at these issues.
Humid Environments
If the wet bulb temperature of the incoming air is already water-saturated, it’s difficult to inject more moisture into the air. The relative humidity for a particular region needs to be evaluated before evaporative coolers can be properly employed. Developments in honeycombed media and fan technology improve functionality here, but these challenges still require intelligently implemented solutions and a smart operation strategy.
Natural Hazards
Global weather patterns are one thing, but the next problem actually cripples the cooler by corrupting its inner workings. We’re referring to the presence of fungal growths. Molds spread inside enclosures when they have access to moisture. This is one of the main reasons portable evaporative coolers are built to allow quick access to their inner workings. A swift maintenance check can quickly spot the spread and clean the mechanism before it causes respiratory problems.
Intelligent Management
If high ambient temperatures move at force, the hot wind doesn’t require much fan power. In fact, this strong breeze can impact the fan and cause it to stall or reverse. Intelligent management systems change the speed of the fan so that the blades don’t incur damage. Likewise, special air diffusers and zinc-coated ducts reduce the impact of the air while controlling flow resistance. This latter feature introduces ducted deflection grilles into the cooling inlet stage.
Proactive Maintenance Plans
The replacement of a simple inlet filter can make all the difference in this situation. This practice extends back to the inlet grilles, the assemblies that require cleaning and alignment so that they properly deflect the harshest wind currents. Finally, antiseptic wipes and mild detergents prevent the housing of this economic cooler from becoming home to any fungal growth or bacteria.
Interestingly, a hygiene-viable evaporative cooler is a workhorse background cooler, but it can go ignored for long periods because it’s doing its job. That’s not an acceptable habit, not when its air flow can affect the evaporative cooler and those who bask in its cooling abilities, so take account of any and all inlet factors before focusing on any mechanical shortcoming.